Cities · Guairá · Guairá and Caazapá: hills, colonies and legends

Paso Yobái

Paso Yobái is one of Paraguay's most unusual places: a yerba mate district where, since the mid-1990s, small-scale gold mining has reshaped both the economy and the landscape. In its rural communities, yerba plantations, small mining operations and an industrial concession sit side by side. For visitors, the best time is August, with the patron-saint feast on the 15th and the Itaju Festival, famous for raffling off chests of rocks containing gold nuggets. It's also a window onto the environmental dilemmas of mining in the country.